A historic first for Wellington

For the first time in history, traffic moving north-south will have equal rights with the east-west flow.

By JOHN SERFUSTINISun Advocate associate editor

Wellington has gotten the green light for its first traffic semaphore.

Mayor Ben Blackburn said Utah Department of Transportation officials have told him the signals will be installed sometime this fall at the corner of 100 East and Main streets. "I have been trying to get this since I took office," Blackburn added. He took his oath of office in January 2010.

The signals will not require the acquisition of any rights of way. Instead, the sidewalks where the posts will be erected will be widened into the street. That will cost a few street parking spaces, but Blackburn said it will be worth it.

The signals won't run on a timer. Instead, they'll be triggered either by pedestrians wanting to cross or by cross traffic approaching the intersection on 100 East.

Once the signals are in place, Wellington Elementary students will cross Main Street at 100 East instead of the current crossing at 200 West, the mayor added.

Wellington, like Helper, is bisected by the busy US 6. The solution for pedestrians and cross traffic in Helper was construction of a multimillion-dollar elevated overpass that allowed Main Street to pass under the high-speed flow to connect both halves of the town.